Storm blows into town

DRAGON SLAYER: Jesse Bromwich is confident ahead of the Storm's historic clash against the St George Illawarra Dragons. PHOTO/WARREN BUCKLAND

The Melbourne Storm blew into Hawke's Bay Airport tonight ahead of their historic NRL clash on Saturday with the Dragons.

Fans were packed to the rafters to get a glimpse of their heroes.

The squad were welcomed by Tamatea High School who performed a rousing haka and waiata while Napier Mayor Bill Dalton greeted the purple army.

The big guns were all on show as kids swarmed the Australian half back Cooper Cronk and captain Cameron Smith for signatures and selfies.

The Kiwi contingent didn't disappoint with Kevin Proctor, Jesse Bromwich and of course local boy Tohu Harris also in high demand.

Storm and Kiwi's front rower Bromwich is excited about his first trip to the Bay.
"It's awesome, I'm really looking forward to spending a few days here."

Bromwich said fellow Kiwi and hometown hero Tohu Harris has been singing the cities praises all week.

"We'll definitely get him to show us around, he's been talking it up for a while so expectations are pretty high.

Bromwich, one of the best props in the NRL right now said fans who may not have seen a live rugby league match will be in for a treat.

"There wont be much kicking.

Hopefully there will be some more action, tries and entertainment than they are used to seeing on a rugby field."

Melbourne will go into the game as firm favourites as they look to consolidate their spot inside the top four and establish themselves as premiership contenders.

Meanwhile, the Dragons will be looking to fire back after the St George side went down 24-8 to the South Sydney Rabbitohs

"We are confident of backing up after last week, I know they (the Dragons) will be a desperate team this week on the back of five losses so it should be a good game."

Harris had been long looking forward to his homecoming and will spend today visiting his marae with his wife Natalie Jones.

"I'm pretty happy to be home and to have the chance to spend some time with friends and family," Harris said.

In stark contrast to the Storms welcoming party only a handful of "Red V" fans turned out to greet the Dragons.

Former Kiwi's five eighth Benji Marshall was the centre of attention as kids swarmed the fleet-footed superstar for autographs and photos.

A successful debut on Saturday could see more teams from the world's premier rugby league competition come to the Bay.

Napier City Council had spoken with three NRL clubs that had also expressed interest in coming to the Art Deco capital.

The rivalry of these two sides stretches back to Melbourne's second season in the worlds fiercest league competition.

The Storm narrowly beat the Dragons in their first grand final appearance in 1999, with a late penalty try sealing the Storms victory.

The match kick off on Saturday, 25 July, at 7:30pm
McLean Park, Napier.